The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Giwa

  • Our position will convince FIFA — Giwa

    Our position will convince FIFA — Giwa

    President of Nigeria Football Federation, Ambassador Chris Giwa has allayed the fears of Nigerians over a letter from world football –governing body, FIFA of Friday, 29th August, 2014, saying that the NFF will relay a detailed and convincing response to the world body on Monday morning.

    “We have seen the letter from FIFA and digested the full content of it. Nothing has

    changed, as far as we are concerned. We will present our position to FIFA by Monday morning and they will be convinced beyond any reasonable doubt.

    “We call on Nigerians not to panic. The NFF is not intimidated and we do not expect any sanction because we have done the appropriate thing. For us, it is not about noise -making. FIFA has admitted in its letter that the General Assembly is the highest decision –making body of any association/federation. That is perfect,” Giwa noted.

    Giwa recalled that the General Assembly of Nigeria Football Federation had at the 69th meeting on Thursday, 28th November, 2013 decided that elective Congress would take place on 26th August, 2014

    “If FIFA admits that the General Assembly is the highest decision –making body, and the highest decision –making resolved at their meeting in 2013 that elections would take place on 26th August, 2013, no other body can change that decision. Certainly, the NFF Executive Committee is not qualified to change that decision.

    “FIFA talked about some persons walking away from the Congress as a result of the fact that some persons were arrested. We were not aware of that. The Congress went ahead and moved a motion to hold elections same day, in deference to the decision of General Assembly of November 28, 2013, and the motion was seconded and there was no counter motion.

    “There is absolutely nothing to fear. Our response is ready. FIFA will receive position of the Federation and will be convinced that elections have, indeed, taken place,” Giwa concluded.

  • Count me out of Giwa exco-Anyansi

    Count me out of Giwa exco-Anyansi

    Enyimba chairman Felix Anyansi-Agwu has said he has rejected his election into an executive committee led by Chris Giwa, insisting he will not be a party to “illegality”.

    Anyansi dissociated himself from a purported apology for his absence from a courtesy visit to the Nigerian sports minister Tammy Danagogo by a group parading as the newly executive committee members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    Anyansi was reacting to a statement by the NFF assistant director of media, Ademola Olajire, in which his name was listed among those who sent apologies for not being part of the visit.

    “I have never spoken to anyone, was never informed of the said visit and could not have been part of such a visit,” declared Anyansi.

    “My purported election into this illegal executive board was rejected outright because the legitimate congress of the NFF did not conduct any elections.”

    Anyansi reiterated his decision to align with majority members of the NFF Congress.

    “We were at Bentley Hotel where the Congress met and resolved that election will hold on September 4 and did not at any time submit myself for the illegality that held at Chida Hotel,” he recalled.

    He warned that he will take appropriate judicial steps to seek redress should there be any further attempt to drag his name and person into activities of the said committee.

  • Giwa resumes at NFF

    Giwa resumes at NFF

    Chris Giwa has officially assumed office as President of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) after being elected by a faction of the NFF congress on Tuesday.

    The Giwa FC proprietor arrived the Glass House in Wuse Zone 7, Abuja at around 2pm and spoke briefly to the press, before proceeding to the President’s office, where a prayer session was held.

    He was in company of other members – Felix Obuah, Obinna Ogba, Yahaya Adams, Sani Ferma and Effiong Johnson.

    Speaking on arrival, Giwa posited that the immediate focus is to get the game running as expected.

    “The first thing we want to do is to get everything together and get football running again.”

    He also said the NFF secretariat will be moved from the Glass House, which was gutted by fire last week to the new building inside the Abuja National Stadium which is called the Sunday Dankaro House.

  • Giwa won’t be nominated for NFF President

    Giwa won’t be nominated for NFF President

    Plateau State FA chairman, Sunday Longbap, will not nominate owner of Nigeria Premier League club, Giwa FC, Chris Giwa, for the post of NFF president because he was indicted by a government white paper for financial mismanagement, among other charges.

    Longbap has reportedly refused to nominate Giwa amid threats to his life and he has cited the indictment by a government panel of the club owner as the main reason for his “stubborn” refusal.

    A six-person fact-finding team led by M.T Ahmadu on Plateau United FC indicted Giwa in a White paper published in October 2004.

    “Chris Giwa and his management team of five persons should refund to the government the sum of 2.5 million Naira being the money they could not account for,” read part of the 23-page government white paper.

    The NFF also suspended Giwa for six months and banished Plateau United to Akure after he invaded the pitch to threaten the referee to cancel a goal scored by Dolphins against Plateau United.

    Among other charges against Giwa were –

    – He displayed an act of arrogance when interacting with the NFF disciplinary committee in Abuja

    – Failure to redeem welfare packages promised to the match officials

    – Lack of transparency and disrespect for laid down rules and regulations of the game

    – He was proud and boastful claiming to have sufficient funds to fly his team to any part of the country to play and win

    The white paper also said that under the leadership of Giwa, the club were bedeviled by many shortcomings ranging lack of transparency, lack of financial prudence and lack of proper records of accountability.

    The committee noted that the Giwa-led management officials received twice what the players received as match bonus.

    The players got 5,000 Naira as match bonus for a home game, while the management officials were paid between 10,000 and 20,000 Naira for home matches.

    There were also un-receipted expenses for “public relations” and adverts in the mass media as well as inflated costs for both home and away matches as well.

    The fact-finding committee was set up in the wake of the poor performance of Plateau United in the Nigeria Premier League despite a huge investment by the Plateau State Government.

    “Despite the huge sums of money released to the club this playing season, the club was faced with so many crisis ranging from administrative to technical problems, which resulted in the suspension of the chairman and later on the suspension of the acting chairman (Chris Giwa) and the technical crew respectively,” reported the committee.

    Giwa has been sold by some top NFF secretariat officials and ministry chiefs as “the government candidate” to head the new executive committee of the NFF come the August 26 polls.

     

  • Enyimba, Giwa now to clash in Abeokuta

    Enyimba, Giwa now to clash in Abeokuta

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has moved  Thursday’s Men’s Federation Cup semi final clash between holders Enyimba FC and fellow Professional Football League side, Giwa FC to the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta.

    Although there was a desire to ensure both semi final matches are played at the same venue for reason of close monitoring and the probability of Supersport Television broadcasting both games live, officials have now decided to move one of the matches to ensure equidistance for both competing sides.

    Ruth David, Head of Federation Cup unit, stated: “We have now moved the match between Enyimba FC and Giwa FC to Abeokuta. Abuja, the venue picked earlier, is much closer to Jos, home of Giwa FC than it is to Aba, the base of Enyimba FC.”

    However, four –time champions Dolphins FC and Prime FC will still square off at the FIFA Goal Project, Abuja, also on Thursday. Both matches kick off at 4pm.

    There was also a change in the women’s event, with the match between Sunshine Queens and Nasarawa Amazons now to take place in Lokoja, on Friday. Rivers Angels and Delta Queens retain their FIFA Goal Project, Abuja venue for the same day.

  • Pillars open title defence at Giwa

    Pillars open title defence at Giwa

    Defending Globacom Premier League champions Kano Pillars will open their title defence on February 23 against newly promoted Giwa FC.

    Pillars, who finished third in the just-concluded Super 4 where they won just a game, will travel to Jos to face the NNL Champions.

    Giwa FC official, Sammy Adesoji told MTNFootball.com that there is no cause for alarm as they will be ready to face Pillars in the league opener.

    “All the teams that will play in the Globacom Premier League have the same ambition of lifting the trophy, so every game will have a high tempo. We are opening the season at home against champions Pillars. No cause for alarm as we will be ready for them as we will go for three points,” Adesoji maintained.

  • Giwa won’t make up the numbers

    Giwa won’t make up the numbers

    Newly promoted Giwa Football Club have insisted they are not in the Glo Premier League to make up the numbers but to make an impressive impact in the debut season in the Nigerian top flight.

    The Jos-based outfit, who got promoted at the end of last season as winners of the Pool A of the Nigeria National League (NNL), are getting set for the new campaign and are optimistic of ruffling a few feathers.

    Technical adviser of the side, Abdullahi Abidemi Biffo, who spoke exclusively to supersport.com in Jos, say his team is taking shape and will be up for the challenge when the league commences.

    “We are preparing quite well ahead of the new season and everything is going on smoothly,” he said.

    “The team is taking shape and we will complete our preparation when we resume on Thursday, before moving to close camping a week after that.

    “This will give us an opportunity to perfect our strategies because we already have the core of the team, and all that is remaining now is to blend the players together.”

    The Jos-based outfit, who emerged as the best of the four newly-promoted teams by beating Abia Warriors on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time, have also added some players to the team to fortify it for the new season.

    Biffo is optimistic that the new players will fix the trouble spots that the team identified and will also add steel and experience to the team.

    “The Glo Premier League is a step higher than the NNL, we have added eleven players to the squad, and we will soon announce our squad for the season.

    “We have players like Segun Atere, who has played for Kwara United, Charles Okoro previously of Dolphins FC and Chris Madaki from JUTH FC who were recently disbanded.

    “A blend of these players will give us the required strength we need to not only cope in the Glo Premier League but to fight for a continental slot which is our ambition for the forthcoming season.

    “We believe we won’t be there to make up the numbers but to compete with the very best and also prove that we have come of age and belong to the elite class,” Biffo added.

    Giwa FC will be making their debut in the Nigerian top flight after topping Pool A of the 2013 Nigerian National League season with 50 points from 28 matches.

  • Immortalise Dele Giwa, says Soyinka

    The Africa Today Group publisher, Mr Kayode Soyinka, a very close associate of Dele Giwa, who was with the late journalist when the letter bomb exploded, said justice eluded the mother as the killers were never found or brought to book in her life. He also called for Giwa’s immortalisation.

    He said: “We saw her last on the day Dele was buried at his village near Auchi in Edo State. She was a very strong mother whose pain was the most harrowing, especially being alive not just to witness the death of her son, but seeing the most heartless way in which he was killed. And she lived through the almost 27 years after Dele’s letter bomb assassination in hope of getting justice for the killing of her son. But justice eluded her.

    “When we marked the 25th Anniversary of Dele’s death, I wrote a personal letter to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, appealing to him to do something in Lagos to immortalise Dele Giwa – just like Beko Ransome-Kuti, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, to mention but a few. Dele deserves it.

    “But my letter to the governor was not even dignified with a response and that pained me. I want to believe that the governor did not receive it. Mind you, I deliberately made it private then and did not give it to the press.

    “Now that mama has now gone to join her iconic son, I appeal to all Nigerians to join me in begging our amiable Lagos State Governor to erect a statue in an appropriate garden in Lagos State, may be near where he was assassinated, in memory of Nigeria’s Prince of Press Freedom – Dele Giwa. May mama’s soul rest in peace. God Bless her soul.”

     

  • Pam, Dung, Giwa cleared for Plateau North

    Pam, Dung, Giwa cleared for Plateau North

    The Plateau State chapters of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Democratic People’s Party (DPP) have cleared their respective flag bearers for the scheduled bye-election into the vacant seat of Plateau North senatorial district.
    In separate affirmation congresses held in Jos yesterday, Jonathan Yusufu Pam emerged as the ACN candidate while  Colonel David John Dung (Rtd) emerged as the flag bearer for DPP.
    Chris Giwa also emerged as the flag bearer of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
     Giwa, who was earlier disqualified by the ACN, decamped to APGA, which cleared him to fly its ticket.
    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed October 6th for the bye-election necessitated by the death Senator Gyang Dantong.
    The Barkin Ladi Constituency of the Plateau House of Assembly is also vacant.
    National officials of ACN supervised the congress where Gyang Ezekiel was also affirmed as the party’s candidate for the Barkin Ladi constituency.
    Delegates from the six local governments unanimously affirmed the candidacy of Jonathan Yusufu Pam to fly the party’s flag on October 6th.
    This was after disqualification of two other aspirants, including Chris Giwa.
    Pam promised to make peace and unity of people of the zone his priority.
     Dung said he will use his wealth of experience as two- time military administrator to better the constituents if elected.
    All the parties paid glowing tributes to the late Dantong and Hon Gyang Fulani for their roles as peace makers in the zone.